Small group teaching involves 2-20 participants where students and tutors share responsibility for learning. Common small group activities include tutorials, labs, and problem-solving classes. Effective small group teaching requires planning, preparing students, setting ground rules, considering the physical setting, and tutors developing strong facilitating skills like listening, asking questions, and responding. The overall goals are to actively involve students, encourage peer instruction, and better simulate real-world team-based learning.

2. SMALL GROUP
Occasion between 2 and 20 participants
students are encouraged to take
responsibility – along with tutors – for
their own learning

3. TYPES OF SMALL GROUP WORK ACTIVITIES
Numerous
Q – What small group teaching do you have
experience of?
Well known: Tutorials, Laboratories and Problem-
Solving Class

4. POTENTIAL DIFFICULTIES
• Students don’t prepare beforehand
• Students don’t engage
• One person dominates (either student or tutor)
• Students want to be given the solution rather
than discussing the problem
• Fear of losing control of the classroom

5. EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUP TEACHING
1. Planning the session
2. Preparing the students for working in groups
3. Agreeing ground rules
4. Significance of the setting
5. Tutor facilitating skills

6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SETTING
 Physical arrangements have a powerful
effect on interaction

7. TUTOR FACILITATING SKILLS
 Skills in listening,
Asking and answering questions, and
responding are paramount in small group
settings.

8.  Well-defined activities
 Bring the class together for discussion and/or
clarification at about15 min. intervals
 Group products
 Look for signs of behaviors that undermine group
function
 Use undergraduate (peer) group facilitators

9. PURPOSE:
 Committed to it based on research and
observation
 Simulates the “real world” - use of teams
 Learn better when actively involved
 Peer instruction
 Learn in context

10. PLANNING FOR LARGE GROUP
 Big Ideas
 Units of Study
 Anchor Texts
 Storytelling,
 singing, music

11. FINAL AIMS:
 Functional groups are ones
 their own and each other’s learning